1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to vehicle parking systems and in particular to a parking system having a central facility coupled to and monitoring a plurality of satellite parking facilities in which each satellite parking facility automatically identifies a vehicle approaching the entrance or exit lanes to the parking facility and generates an appropriate set of responses such as opening the gate, illuminating a fee display or other sign information, posting accounting information and the like. A user of multiple satellite parking facilities receives one statement periodically from the central or clearinghouse facility. Each satellite parking facility may be independent from the other satellite parking facilities and each may set its own charges and fee schedules. The central facility simply keeps track of all parking in all the satellite parking facilities and sends the user one bill (or debits an account) for the total amount of the parking. A key feature of the central facility or clearinghouse concept is the use of a prepaid balance as opposed to being billed in arrears. When the prepaid balance falls below a predetermined level, the clearinghouse or central facility will either debit the user's bank account via ACH (automated clearinghouse) or electronic funds transfer, charge the user's credit card account, or issue an invoice. If the balance becomes negative, the system generally will not allow the user to enter the garage.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many different types of semiautomatic parking systems for vehicles such as motor vehicles including monthly pass cards, automatic ticket dispensers, and the like. In systems where time accounting is required for parking that is subject to charge periods, a card having an electronic memory is used where each memory location can be individually and irreversibly written in order to represent a time unit credit allocated to the holder of the card. Other systems use an electronic memory and a card reader, a portable terminal carried by a parking checker, a card having a magnetic track containing a confidential identification number, and a label for sticking to the windshield of a vehicle with the label bearing information that is unambiguously related to the information stored in the card. Still other systems use capacitive cards and reader systems. Some systems use an automatic fee determining system including means to totalize the amount of coins accepted by the system. Such system includes means for calculating the fee due from a parking ticket. The customer then inserts coins into a coin receptor and a “vend” is produced only when the total value of coins at least equals the calculated fee due. Other systems have an entrance station for dispensing a coded card and initiating opening of an entrance gate and an exit station for receiving the card, sensing any lapsed time, computing a toll at a predetermined time rate, collecting the correct toll, and initiating opening of the gate in response to the collection.
These systems all require the intervention of a human operator or an interaction between the vehicle occupant and a device such as a ticket dispenser and the like.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,624 there is disclosed an automatic parking system that can identify a vehicle approaching an entrance or exit lane, and then, based on that identity, generate an appropriate set of responses such as opening a gate, illuminating a fee display, posting accounting information, preparing periodic statements to the owner of the vehicle, and the like. However, if the user goes to another parking facility, either a new membership in that facility will be required so that the user receives another monthly billing statement or the user will have to pay cash.
While in its broadest state, the aforesaid patent claims cover a central billing operation, the improvement disclosed herein specifically covers the use of multiple parking facilities that feed a central billing/credit system thereby permitting the user to use facilities that may be independently owned but for which proper debit of the user's account will be made as well as proper credit attributed to the specific facility as determined in advance.